Damaged amp head/ torpedo live

mobrien999

New member
So I fried my ampeg classic bass amp head by running it into my torpedo live. The standby button was making crackling noises and some smoke came out before it stopped working all together. Not real happy. I assumed I could run the 4 ohms head into the 8 ohms torpedo like you would be able to do with any 8 ohms cab, so long as the cab ohms are larger than the head? I didn't push the bass head at all. ran it very low and moderately.

so, my questions are as such: is it just totally unwise to run anything that isn't 8ohms into the torpedo live? or is it the 300 watts of the amp head that was too much? How can I successfully get bass sounds into my torpedo live? I'm open to ideas for a better bass amp head for the job. Was thinking possibly a quilter or Aguilar tone hammer?

Also, is it normal for the torpedo live unit to make tiny little crackling noises once in a while when you power it off? I have never received any warnings from the unit, but this also greatly worries me.

Sorry for the long post, but any help in this would be hugely appreciated.
 
From what I've read (recently) it's ok to run different ohms but, of course you will have volume drop out.
However, your mistake (sorry to say it like that) is the Torpedo Live is 100 watt MAX!

I'm sure the culprit here is the 300 watt bass head and not the Torpedo Live.

It's always a good idea to read as much of any manual as you can. Sure it's a boring read but, it'll always help you to get the most out of any piece of gear.

Hopefully this helps (even as harsh as it sounds)
 
I would be interested to hear an official answer on this one. I have a M3 Carbine I planned to run through a Torpedo Live. My understanding is that it would run at 150W if plugged into a 8 ohm load since the current draw is halved. It is usually 300W @ 4 ohm. I don't understand how a triple Rectifier is safe at 150W if not cranked into a 8 ohm load, but a 300W bass amp running on 8 ohm load would cause a problem. I should have paid more attention in my physics and electrical courses...
 
Hi Fantom,

it's something to run an amp that is a bit above the Torpedo Live max limit, it's something else to run an amp that's 3 times the rated power, when not pushed.

A tube Ampeg rated at 300W can easily output 450W RMS, and on top of that 4 ohms instead of 8 is not ideal either, your output transformer (or power tubes) didn't like it probably, it happens.

That's the difference with a 150W guitar amp.

You should have both the amp and the Torpedo Live looked at by a qualified technician before using them again, that's my advice.
 
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